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Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber, Civic Centre, Newport

Contact: Eleanor Mulligan  Head of Democratic Services

Media

Items
No. Item

1.

Preliminaries

      i.        To receive any apologies for absence.

     ii.        To receive any declarations of interest.

    iii.        To receive any announcements by the Mayor.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

i)          To receive any apologies for absence

 

The Monitoring Officer reported apologies for absence.

 

ii)         To receive any declarations of interest

 

None.

 

iii)        To receive any announcements by the Mayor

 

The Mayor led the Council in offering congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the birth of their third child. 

 

2.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 411 KB

To confirm and sign the minutes of the meetings held on 27 February and 27 March 2018.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The following amendments were put forward for the minutes of the meeting held on 27 February 2018:

 

-       On item 6 (Questions to the Leader of the Council) Councillor Matthew Evans asked that the minute show he had asked for details of the money allocated for the footbridge project in 2014, as was reported at the time in the South Wales Argus.

-       On item 7 (Questions to the Cabinet Members) Councillor Gail Giles asked that the minute show that there had been some confusion over the question ask by Councillor Watkins, as this was different from the question submitted.  

 

With the amendments above, the minutes for the meetings held on 27 February and 27 March 2018 were confirmed as a true record. 

3.

Appointments pdf icon PDF 169 KB

To consider any proposed appointments.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The following appointments were agreed:

 

Internal Appointments

 

Committee

No. of Vacancies / Replacements

Nominations Received

Democratic Services Committee

1 replacement

Cllr Laura Lacey to replace Cllr Jane Mudd

HR Appeals

2 replacements

Cllr Laura Lacey to replace Cllr Jane Mudd

Cllr Deb Davies to replace Cllr Deb Harvey

 

 

Governing Body Appointments

 

Governing Body

No. of Vacancies / Re-appointments

Nominations Received

Alway Primary

1 re-appointment

Rodney Webb

Charles Williams Church in Wales Primary

1 re-appointment

1 vacancy

Cllr Gail Giles

Cllr Jason Hughes

Lliswerry High

1 re-appointment

Rita Reynolds

St Andrews Primary

3 re-appointments

Cllr Roger Jeavons, Cllr Ken Critchley, Rita Reynolds

St Julians Primary

1 re-appointment

Elaine Bryant

The John Frost School

1 re-appointment

Cllr Debbie Wilcox

YsgolGymraeg Casnewydd

1 re-appointment

Daniel Davies

Caerleon Comprehensive

1 vacancy

Ann Price

Pillgwenlly Primary

1 vacancy

FabiBerrettoni

Milton Primary

1 vacancy

Umber Ahmed

 

 

 

4.

Police Issues

30 minutes is allocated for questions to the Gwent Police representative.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Superintendent Ian Roberts provided an update on current local policing priorities, before inviting questions from Members.

 

-       In response to a question from Councillor Matthew Evans, Superintendent Roberts assured Council that Gwent Police would continue to carry out parking enforcement until those powers were transferred to the Council.  While general parking enforcement had to be prioritised alongside other police work and resources, Members were assured that flagged issues would be investigated and followed up. 

 

-       Superintendent Roberts agreed to follow up on the issues raised by Councillor Wilcox and Councillor Marshall in relation to off road bikes, drug use, and speeding vehicles within the Gaer ward. 

 

-       Councillor Jeavons raised concerns about resources to tackle issues within Black Ash Park, which the Superintendent agreed to follow up.

 

-       In response to a query from Councillor Mogford about police parking on double yellow lines, the Superintendent confirmed that this would only be appropriate in an emergency situation, and agreed to follow up on the example given.

 

-       Councillor Deb Davies urged the Police to increase patrols around parks to tackle anti-social behaviour in the summer months.  The Superintendent confirmed that the force was aware of the issues within the parks and was working on addressing these.

 

-       Councillor Hourahine asked that thanks be passed on for the time spent on a walking tour ahead of scrutiny of the City Centre PSPO.

 

-       Councillor Joan Watkins requested feedback in addressing reported issues of drug dealing in Caerleon, so that progress could be fed back to residents.

 

The Mayor thanked Superintendent Roberts for attending.

5.

Notice of Motion: Period Poverty

To receive the following motion for which the necessary notice has been provided:

 

That this Council will

 

1.    research the availability of free sanitary products in all Secondary Schools in the city as an acknowledgement that they are as essential as toilet paper for the personal hygiene of female pupils.

 

2.    Request that a report be presented to the Performance Scrutiny Committee - People which will consider the availability of hygiene products in Newport schools and, if appropriate, bring forward recommendations for consideration by the Cabinet in respect of this matter relating to dignity, equality, health and wellbeing and its effect on education in a city that has a considerable number of pupils living in poverty.

 

The motion is to be proposed by Councillor Debbie Wilcox and seconded by Councillor Mark Whitcutt.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Council considered a motion for which the necessary notice had been provided.  The motion was moved by Councillor Wilcox and seconded by Councillor Whitcutt:

 

That this Council will

 

1.    research the availability of free sanitary products in all Secondary Schools in the city as an acknowledgement that they are as essential as toilet paper for the personal hygiene of female pupils.

 

2.    Request that a report be presented to the Performance Scrutiny Committee - People which will consider the availability of hygiene products in Newport schools and, if appropriate, bring forward recommendations for consideration by the Cabinet in respect of this matter relating to dignity, equality, health and wellbeing and its effect on education in a city that has a considerable number of pupils living in poverty.

 

In moving the motion, Councillor Wilcox highlighted the funding announced in March by Welsh Government to address period poverty, in the form of a one off capital grant and a two year revenue grant.  The Leader confirmed that the Council was currently working on how to direct and use those funds, however it was proposed through this motion that a longer term solution was needed.  The Leader highlighted the impact of period poverty, including the research showing links with female underachievement.

 

In seconding the motion, Councillor Whitcutt echoed the Leader’s comments on the significance of period poverty, and highlighted the links between this issue and matters of equality and human rights. 

 

Speaking in favour of the motion, Members raised the following points:

 

·         That this was a real issue facing girls and women in Newport.

·         That this will make a difference to attainment and attendance of girls at school.

·         That facilities were needed to ensure girls have the dignity they deserve.

·         That this issue needed to be discussed and brought into the open.

·         That this was not just a high school issue - facilities were needed in primary schools too.

·         That action could be taken now, for example on social media and the #endperiodpoverty campaign.

·         That demand for sanitary products was increasing at food banks.

It was unanimously

 

Resolved

 

To adopt the motion as set out in full above.

6.

Notice of Motion: Newport to Ebbw Vale Rail Track

To receive the following motion for which the necessary notice has been provided:

 

This Council is frustrated by the many delays in the opening of the Newport to Ebbw Vale rail track. It urges Welsh Government to act as a matter of urgency on this matter.

 

The motion is to be proposed by Councillor Matthew Evans and seconded by Councillor Debbie Wilcox.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Council considered a motion for which the necessary notice had been provided.  The motion was moved by Councillor M Evans and seconded by Councillor Wilcox:

 

This Council is frustrated by the many delays in the opening of the Newport to Ebbw Vale rail track. It urges Welsh Government to act as a matter of urgency on this matter.

 

In moving the motion, Councillor M Evans cited the campaign by the South Wales Argus in 2002 to get the Ebbw Vale line “back on track”.  There was cross party support then and now for the reopening of the line, and progress was needed as a priority.

 

In seconding the motion, Councillor Wilcox highlighted the importance of the line to the economic development of the area, and reiterated her commitment to pressing for progress on this issue in all forums, local and national. 

 

A number of Members spoke in support of the motion, praising the consensus on this issue from across the floor, and the importance of this link for the economic and social prosperity of the region.

 

It was unanimously

 

Resolved

 

To adopt the motion as set out in full above.

7.

Local Wellbeing Plan pdf icon PDF 300 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Leader of the Council introduced the report, asking Council to approve the One Newport Public Services Board’s Wellbeing Plan for 2018-23. 

 

The Well-being of Future Generations Act required the Council to take account of the long term, take a partnership approach, and involve people.  The Act also established the Public Services Board (PSB) chaired by the Leader of the Council.  The PSB was responsible for an assessment of local well-being and a Local Well-being plan.

 

The Local Well-being Assessment for Newport was published in May 2017. A Local Well-being Plan, setting out objectives and the steps the PSB would take to meet them, had to be published by May 2018.

The draft plan under consideration was developed by the partnership based on the outcomes in the Well-being Assessment and community profiles.  The report outlined 13 priorities that came out of a series of workshops and were agreed by the PSB:

 

1)         Newport has a clean and safe environment for people to use and enjoy

2)         Improve Air Quality across the city

3)         Communities are resilient to climate change

4)         People feel part of their community (community cohesion & resilience)

5)         Participation in physical activity is important for people’s physical and mental well-being and resilience

6)         Participation in arts, heritage and history is important for people’s well-being

7)         Improve the perceptions of Newport as a place to live, work, visit and invest

8)         Drive up skill levels for economic and social well-being

9)         Support regeneration and economic growth

10)       Provide children and young people with the best possible start in life

11)       Long and healthy lives for all (equalise up health life expectancy and life expectancy and health inequalities)

12)       Ensuring people feel safe in their communities, by reducing crime and antisocial behaviour and fear of crime

13)       People have access to stable homes in a sustainable supportive community

The next step was to develop a Response Analysis. This was the link between the Local Well-being Assessment and the Local Well-being Plan. The response analysis informed the selection of local objectives and assessed how local services (in a collective sense) were, and could be, addressing them.

 

Working with 30+ organisations, five cross cutting interventions were identified which spanned the emerging priorities, and maximised the contribution to the well-being goals. 

 

These were:

 

·         The Newport Offer

·         Strong Resilient Communities

·         Right Skills

·         Green and Safe Spaces

·         Sustainable Travel

 

The consultation responses including the advice of the Future Generations Commissioner were outlined in the report.  These were considered by the PSB and the Plan had been amended accordingly.

 

The next stage was for the statutory organisations to adopt the Plan prior to this being finalised at the May PSB.

 

The Leader concluded by paying tribute to the officers involved in producing this plan, and the huge amount of hard work which had gone into the process.

 

During the discussion the following points were raised:

 

-       Support for the content of the plan, and recognition of the work that had gone into it.

-  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

8.

Pay and Reward Statement pdf icon PDF 494 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Leader introduced the report, outlining the annual statement that is updated every April and must be agreed by Council.

 

The content remained mostly the same as last year, with one main addition for 2018/19: reporting on the Council’s gender pay gap. This was reported in the Pay and Reward Policy, would be reported in the annual Strategic Equality Duty report, and had been published on the gov.uk website. There was no requirement for Welsh local authorities to publish on the gov.uk website but was submitted in the interests of openness and transparency.

 

From running and verifying the data, it was confirmed that the Council’s gender pay gap as at 31st March 2017 was 1.2%, which was some way below the national average of 18.4%

 

It was noted that the pay and grading exercise in 2015 had contributed to this outcome, as has the increasing number of women in managerial roles across the Council. The Council currently had more female service managers reporting directly to Heads of Service than male, and the flexible working policies in place encouraged greater take up of women progressing to senior roles and balancing commitments outside of work.

 

The remainder of the policy remained unchanged, however some comparative data was included in the report to show the changes to pay relativity ratios year on year.  This showed a consistent narrowing of the gap between our highest and lowest paid employees.

 

Resolved

 

To approve the updated Pay and Reward Policy in order to meet the statutory requirement for a pay policy statement to be approved and published by Council on an annual basis.

9.

Independent Remuneration Panel Annual Report pdf icon PDF 288 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Councillor Charles Ferris, Chair of the Democratic Services Committee, presented the report outlining the recommendations of the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales (IRPW) for adoption by the Council.

 

Councillor Ferris outlined that remuneration levels would remain static, except for a £200 uplift in the basic allowance for all Members.  Senior salaries would remain at the same level.  The report also recommended that the rate of payment for the Mayor and Deputy Mayor remain the same as our existing arrangements.

 

It was also confirmed that the IRPW had removed the provision for a two-tier level of payment for Cabinet Members and Committee Chairs.  This provision had been questioned by this Council previously, and had not been used by any Council in Wales. 

 

Finally Councillor Ferris highlighted the IRPW’s promotion of the provision for reimbursing costs of care, and the recommendation in the report that any claims made under this provision be anonymised in reporting. 

 

Resolved

 

That Council

 

i)          adopts the determinations within the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales’ Annual Report 2018-19;

 

ii)         approves the draft Schedule of Remuneration attached at Appendix 1; and

 

iii)         agrees that any claims made for reimbursements of costs of care should be anonymised in future reporting of NCC allowance payments.

10.

Questions to the Leader of the Council

To provide an opportunity for Councillors to ask questions to the Leader of the Council in accordance with the Council’s Standing Orders.

 

Process:

 

No more than 15 minutes will be allocated at the Council meeting for questions to the Leader of the Council.

 

The question must be addressed through the Mayor or the person presiding at the meeting and not directly to the person being questioned.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Leader’s announcements

 

In answer to the first question from the Mayor, the Leader made the following announcements:

 

-       Thanks to the outgoing Mayor on what would be his final Council meeting.

-       The inaugural ABP Newport Marathon being staged at the weekend, which was estimated to bring £1.1million into the local authority.

-       Congratulations to Newport RFC on reaching the finals of the WRU Challenge Cup.

-       The announcement expected soon on the bid for lottery funding for the Transporter Bridge.

-       Completion of the recent works to the City Footbridge.

-       The £2.5million grant awarded in March to the Living Levels Partnership, for a series of projects designed to restore and enhance the natural heritage and history of the Gwent Levels’ unique landscape.

-       The success of the Cardiff Capital Region bid, let by Newport officers, for £6million worth of funding from the local full fibre wave two challenge fund to enable improved digital technology in south-east Wales. 

 

Congestion charges and parking levies

 

Councillor Matthew Evans reported that Cardiff Council were considering introducing congestion charges and levies on car parking, and asked the Leader to rule out any similar plans being introduced in Newport.  The Leader responded that she recognised the particular issues with parking in Cardiff, but could not comment upon the actions of another Council, and would not be drawn into any promises to rule this out.  In response to a supplementary question, the Leader confirmed that there were no immediate plans to look at such measures.  The Leader added that she would rule out the introduction of three-weekly bin collections in this administration’s term. 

 

David ‘Bomber’ Pearce

 

Councillor Kevin Whitehead referenced the current campaign to recognise the sporting achievements of local man David “Bomber” Pearce, and asked whether he could be given a posthumous award, for example the Spirit of Newport award or the freedom of the city.  The Leader confirmed that the statue of Mr Pearce would be unveiled on 7 June in the city, and agreed to talk to officers about a potential award.

 

Great Western Cities Partnership

 

Councillor Carmel Townsend asked for an update on progress of the Great Western Cities Partnership signed by the former Leaders of Newport and Cardiff, and the former Mayor of Bristol.  The Leader confirmed that the authority was pushing for progress, which had been made difficult with changes in the different personnel.  There was a clear synergy with the South West region, and discussions were ongoing to try and move this forward, including the potential to expand the partnership to include other cities such as Bath and Swansea.

 

Newport Market

 

In response to a question from Councillor Graham Berry, the Leader confirmed the progress that had been made in communications with the traders at Newport Market.  Long term options for the Market were being considered, meanwhile regular meetings were being held with traders to discuss short term solutions to improve footfall and organise events. 

 

Transporter Bridge

 

Councillor Charles Ferris asked whether any contingency plans were in place  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

11.

Questions to the Cabinet Members

To provide an opportunity to pose questions to Cabinet Members in line with Standing Orders.

 

Process:

 

No more than 10 minutes will be allocated at the Council meeting for questions to each Cabinet Member.

 

Members must submit their proposed questions in writing in advance in accordance with Standing Orders.  If members are unable to ask their question orally within the allocated time, remaining questions will be answered in writing.  The question and response will be appended to the minutes.

 

The question must be addressed through the Mayor or the person presiding at the meeting and not directly to the person being questioned.

 

Questions will be posed to Cabinet Members in the following order:

 

      i.        Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Assets and Member Development

     ii.        Cabinet Member for Education and Skills

    iii.        Cabinet Member for Social Services

   iv.        Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Housing

    v.        Cabinet Member for Community and Resources

   vi.        Cabinet Member for Streetscene

  vii.        Cabinet Member for Licensing and Regulation

 viii.        Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure

 

For information:  A digest of recent decision schedules issued by Cabinet, Cabinet Members and Minutes of recent meetings of Committees has been circulated electronically to all Members of the Council.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The following questions were submitted and answered.

 

Cabinet Member for Education and Skills

 

Councillor Joan Watkins asked:

 

After a recent visit in March by Estyn Inspectors St Julians comprehensive School remains in special measures. Newport High School in Bettws is also in the special measures category.  Stemming from recent Welsh Government rankings assessment, in Jan 2017 Llanwern High School slipped into the red zone.

 

Can the Cabinet Member responsible for Education give a cast iron guarantee that Llanwern High School will not also sink into the special measures category and what actions are being taken to prevent this happening.

 

The Cabinet Member responded:

 

The Cabinet Member referenced the similar question answered at the Council meeting in February, and added that all schools had areas of strength, and there was a lot to be proud of within Newport schools.  Every local authority had schools in all categories, including red schools, but Newport had the highest number of green schools in the region.  GCSE rankings had improved, and performance was above expected levels for the numbers of children in receipt of free school meals. 

 

The Cabinet Member stated that Estyn and the EAS were experts in identifying needs for support, and red categorisation ensured the highest level of support. Support was provided by the EAS and the local authority working in partnership to consistently review the capacity of schools to move forward.  The Cabinet Member also noted that Newport had never been placed in special measures, and with the high levels of success this was unlikely to happen in the future.

 

The Cabinet Member recognised Estyn as Her Majesty’s Inspectors of schools, who gave an unquestionable judgement.  The local authority would continue to do what it could, but there could not be any cast iron guarantees as inspection judgements were for Estyn to determine.  In reference to Llanwern High School, all appropriate support had been put in place, and outcomes were looking significantly better than last year.  The Cabinet Member closed by thanking the school staff for their continued hard work, as well as the governors, community and education department for their ongoing support.

 

Supplementary question:

 

Councillor Watkins’ questioned whether raising standards was Estyn’s responsibility, and stated that the authority should be doing what it could to raise standards.  In response the Cabinet Member confirmed that the authority fulfilled all requirements for its responsibilities, and support given was down to all agencies and schools working together. 

 

Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Housing

 

Councillor William Routley asked:

 

Between April 2016 to March 2017 Newport Council received £174,400 in 'transitional funding' from the Welsh Government to help assist the authority with Homelessness Prevention.  Between April 2017 and March 2018 Newport Council received another £139,440.  Also, in August 2017, a further £159,615.51 in funding was received.  The Council has also made £75,000 available from its own budgets from 2016 to 2018.  It is good that £58,933.06 has been spent on assisting Edengate with opening an all year night-shelter.  However if all the funding were channelled  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

12.

Questions to the Chairs of Committees

To provide an opportunity to pose questions to the Chairs of the Committees in line with Standing Orders.

 

Process:

 

No more than 10 minutes will be allocated at the Council meeting for questions to each Chair.

 

Members must submit their proposed questions in writing in advance in accordance with Standing Orders.  If members are unable to ask their question orally within the allocated time, remaining questions will be answered in writing.  The question and response will be appended to the minutes.

 

The question must be addressed through the Mayor or the person presiding at the meeting and not directly to the person being questioned.

 

Questions will be posed to Committee Chairs in the following order:

 

      i.        Scrutiny Committees

a.    Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee

b.    Performance Scrutiny Committee – People

c.    Performance Scrutiny Committee – Place and Corporate

d.    Performance Scrutiny Committee – Partnerships

     ii.        Planning Committee

    iii.        Licensing Committee

   iv.        Democratic Services Committee

 

For information:  A digest of recent decision schedules issued by Cabinet, Cabinet Members and Minutes of recent meetings of Committees has been circulated electronically to all Members of the Council.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

No questions were submitted on this occasion.